kennedy square.

The Kennedy Square apartment complex in proximity to downtown Syracuse was a project that featured community development initiatives. The client, a bio-research center bought the defunct apartment block and wanted the surrounding area to be the spark for urban renewal.

The concept for my design was based on a modular form- Johnson Solid 21, which is most visible in the shape of the proposed community center. This conceptual form also generated the mixed use housing as well as the areas many open spaces. I had felt at the time that using a modular form would be a way for urban renewal to be replicated through out an area. Since the completion of the project, I now know that this is not the best way of going about a redesign of a community such as this example. A better way of thinking about it is through understanding how a community has grown over time.

Sketch of the touch and sensory garden

Regardless this is the design that I had gone with...so lets talk about it. The above section perspective shows, from left to right, the community center, sensory garden, and dog park. The community center and associated lawn area was dedicated to Emmanuel Breland a resident of the Kennedy Square apartments and the first African American in Syracuse to win a sports scholarship to Syracuse University. The touch and sensory garden featured two types of enclosures to maximize sensory awareness. Finally the dog park was to give an outlet to another type of potential user, at the time when I had suggested this amenity no one in studio could show me where a dog park in Syracuse could be found.

Section through the parking garage

Going further in to the picture to the left is a single story parking garage with roof top access. I had proposed that the parking structure have a green roof so that there could be the option for community gardening activities. Within the parking garage infrastructure would be cisterns that could collect gray water. The red brick buildings at the end of the sports field are mixed use structures; where the first floor is store front, the second is office space, and the third story is studio apartments. One feature of the store fronts is the inclusion of a zip car hub.

The picture to the left represents a section through the corner of Crouse and Water street this is the location of the Connective Corridor bus line. The plantings were to represent a successive growth pattern building up to the Crouse main street district. Pictured below is a section of the gray brick buildings which are for single families.